The Iowa Department of Transportation is expected to require changes to automated traffic camera programs, but not eliminate them entirely, when it releases a long-awaited report next week, DOT director Paul Trombino said Wednesday.

The question for months has been whether the DOT would put an end to the use of the cameras in the state or side with cities in saying it’s a smart use of technology to make roads safer. There’s vocal support and opposition on both sides.

Advertisement

“We are going to make some changes,” said Trombino, who was in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday for business luncheon. He said the DOT’s role is not to take sides in the debate but to establish statewide rules.

KCRG-TV reports Trombino declined to go into specifics, but said the report will not be a sweeping ban of camera programs.

“Probably both groups are going to be unhappy with parts of the report,” he said.

The agency has been reviewing crash and citation data submitted last May by the six cities — Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Muscatine, Davenport and Sioux City — that use cameras to ticket violators of traffic laws, such as speeding or red lights, on Iowa’s primary highway system. Initially, the review was expected to take weeks, but data was inconsistent and required more work than anticipated, Trombino said.

He told KCRG the review shows not enough analysis occurred when programs began in selecting locations to place cameras. The focus appeared to be more on raising revenue than improving safety, he said.